The feeling of starting a new journey is always a great one–you’re driven, interested in what you can discover, and full of hope about what the future will bring. But once the novelty of your new passion wears off and it’s time to really get down to learning and taking on challenges, you may struggle with staying motivated and dedicated to the goal you originally set.
Specifically in a field like tech where continuous learning is a given and necessary for those looking to keep up with the industry and the most in-demand topics and skills, learning how to stay motivated is essential.
In this article, we’ll explore the need to stay up to date with the latest tech topics (and how that can advance your career!) before diving right into some of our best tips and tricks for staying motivated while learning.
Why is Keeping Up With Tech So Important?
You’ve studied what you thought you needed to know to land your tech job or are in the midst of teaching yourself how to code and all of a sudden, you realize there are new tools and skills that hiring managers are looking for, or simply programs that will make your job easier. And although you thought you were done (or almost there!), you now realize that your learning journey in tech may never be completely over.
While that may feel intimidating and not what you’re looking to hear, give us a second to convince you otherwise. It’s so important to keep up with tech programs because:
You’ll remain a competitive candidate in the job market: as more and more tech tools are introduced to the market, hiring managers will want to hire candidates that are familiar with these tools and ready to work with them.
You’ll keep your skills sharp: if you rely too heavily on previous knowledge or experience, you’ll struggle to pick up on new tools and systems as they’re realized, even if they can help you work better and faster. Committing to continuous growth throughout your career will help keep your skills sharp.
You’ll be better at your job: the vast majority of tech tools and topics these days are focused on improving productivity and efficiency and if you take the time to incorporate them into your day-to-day, you’ll become better at your job–and improve your job security.
It’s clear, right? Keeping up with tech is essential. And if you’re wondering how to do so, you’re in luck:
Dedicate daily time to keeping up with tech news: the tech industry is moving at a dizzying pace and if you want to be on the forefront of what’s happening, you’ll need to dedicate time to researching and reading up on what’s going on with major tech companies and new technologies.
Network, network, and network: there’s no better way to be in the middle of everything tech-related than by connecting with like minded individuals in similar roles to you or those in roles that you’d like to learn more about. Take the time to create deep connections with other tech professionals, nurturing these relationships over time.
Set personal learning goals for yourself: life is busy, we get it. But ensuring you’re staying up to date with the tech industry will require discipline and it will help if you set goals for yourself, such as a certain number of things to learn or short classes to take a year. It will also be easier to stick with it if you have a calendar and promise to yourself.
Staying Motivated While Learning New Tech Topics
Now that you know both how and why it’s important to learn new tech topics to advance your career, let’s dive right into those key tips and tricks for staying motivated–even when the going gets tough.
Set realistic goals
You’ve heard about a new tool that could completely transform your workflow or simply think adding a programming language to your UX/UI design knowledge could help you advance your career. And while it’s great that something new has piqued your interest, it’s important to be realistic with yourself and set goals that can be reached. How? Try to follow the SMART goal guidelines:
Specific: be intentional and don’t set goals that are too broad or wide-reaching.
Measurable: to track your progress and keep yourself on schedule, make sure you set goals that can be tracked as you learn.
Achievable: learning every cybersecurity threat out there might be a nice thing to add to your resume, but it’s not quite realistic; ensure all your goals are achievable.
Relevant: if you’re trying to advance your career further or even get started in tech, ensuring your goals are relevant to your career trajectory or personal goals is essential–and will help you stay on track.
Time-bound: to guarantee you’re being realistic with your goals, set time restraints so that you can either choose to advance faster or slow down; if you fall too far behind, your motivation might also decrease.
Take breaks
Learning isn’t something that happens overnight, especially in tech. And if you try to move too fast through complex or new topics, you may end up overwhelming yourself and losing all interest and motivation completely. Be kind to yourself, schedule breaks, and make sure you’re setting yourself up for success when you sit down to study and give yourself the proper conditions to succeed.
Ask for feedback
Tech topics can be tough and a lot of your learning will be practicing and working on getting around blockers; to ensure that you’re truly improving and learning from what you’re doing, look to experts or those with more experience for feedback on your work to see where you can get better.
If you don’t know anyone yet in the field or are unsure about asking for help, consider online forums or discussion boards where you can post your work and other professionals can help you find areas for improvement.
Find your passion
The more committed and interested you are in the topic you’ve chosen, the easier it will be to stay motivated and dedicated to your studies. So before you dive deep into a topic that you haven’t fully researched, try to investigate possible career paths, fields, and ideas you’ll cover to ensure that it matches your goals and interests.
Dedicate the proper time to learning
You won’t learn how to code or how to use a new AI tool in a matter of days and the more seriously you take your studies, the faster--and better-you’ll learn how to incorporate this new knowledge into your work.
Once you decide where you want to focus your efforts, the next step is to create a realistic and achievable schedule, ensuring that you’re prioritizing your learning. Even though it can be hard, you’ll thank yourself later on.
The learning journey, especially in tech, is not for the faint of heart. But if you dedicate the proper time and resources towards your goals, you’ll find that they’re definitely achievable. If you’re looking for a stricter and regulated learning process, consider a bootcamp, where you’ll be kept accountable by instructors and your fellow students, all while learning the necessary skills for a successful tech career.
Interested? Check out our bootcamps and kickstart your tech career–with tons of motivation and support.
